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Co-Parenting with Court-Approved Apps in Tennessee: A Modern Solution for Modern Families

July 26, 2024

by admin with No Comment Parenting Plan

In today’s fast-paced world, technology plays a pivotal role in our daily lives, including the often complex realm of co-parenting. For divorced or separated parents, managing schedules, communicating effectively, and ensuring the well-being of their children can be challenging. Fortunately, Tennessee courts recognize these challenges and have begun endorsing various co-parenting apps to streamline communication and coordination. In this blog, we will explore the benefits of court-approved co-parenting apps in Tennessee, their features, and how they can help make co-parenting smoother and more effective.

What Are Court-Approved Co-Parenting Apps?

Court-approved co-parenting apps are digital tools endorsed by the Tennessee court system to help separated or divorced parents manage their co-parenting responsibilities. These apps are designed to facilitate communication, track parenting time, share important information about the child, and resolve disputes in a structured manner. The approval from the court often signifies that these apps have been vetted for their reliability and effectiveness in supporting positive co-parenting practices.

Key Features of Co-Parenting Apps

Shared Calendars: Co-parenting apps often include a shared calendar feature that allows both parents to keep track of important dates, such as school events, medical appointments, and vacations. This feature helps avoid scheduling conflicts and ensures both parents are informed about their child’s activities.
Expense Tracking: Managing shared expenses can be a contentious issue in co-parenting. Many apps provide a feature to track and split expenses related to the child’s needs, such as medical bills or extracurricular activities. This transparency helps prevent disputes over financial contributions.
Communication Tools: Effective communication is crucial for successful co-parenting. Co-parenting apps typically offer secure messaging systems that keep all communication organized and accessible. Some apps also provide features like conversation logs, which can be helpful if disputes arise and you need a record of discussions.
Document Sharing: Important documents related to the child, such as medical records, school reports, and legal paperwork, can be shared through these apps. This ensures both parents have access to the same information, reducing the likelihood of misunderstandings.
Parenting Time Logs: Accurate tracking of parenting time is essential for ensuring compliance with custody arrangements. Co-parenting apps often include features to log parenting time, making it easier to verify adherence to custody agreements.
Dispute Resolution: Some apps offer tools for resolving disputes amicably, such as mediation features or built-in conflict resolution resources. This can help parents address issues constructively without needing to return to court.

Popular Court-Approved Co-Parenting Apps in Tennessee

Several co-parenting apps have received endorsement from Tennessee courts. While the list may evolve, some commonly approved apps include:

OurFamilyWizard: Known for its comprehensive features, including shared calendars, expense tracking, and communication tools, OurFamilyWizard is widely used and accepted by courts in Tennessee.
TalkingParents: This app focuses on secure communication and documentation, offering tools to keep conversations organized and accessible.
Cozi: Although not specifically designed for co-parenting, Cozi’s shared calendar and task management features can be useful for families needing a simple solution for scheduling and coordination.
AppClose: Features includes a shared calendar, expense tracking, and communication tools. It also offers features for documenting and tracking parenting time. AppClose’s emphasis on simplicity and affordability makes it a practical option for many co-parents.
Custody X Change: Offers tools for creating and managing custody schedules, tracking parenting time, and documenting interactions. It also includes features for generating legal reports. It’s focus on legal documentation and schedule management makes it a strong choice for parents navigating complex custody arrangements

How to Choose the Right App

Selecting the right co-parenting app depends on your family’s specific needs. Here are a few factors to consider:

Features: Evaluate the features offered by each app and choose one that aligns with your co-parenting needs.
Ease of Use: The app should be user-friendly for both parents to ensure consistent use.
Cost: Some apps offer free basic versions with optional paid upgrades. Consider your budget and the value of additional features.
Court Preferences: If your co-parenting plan is court-ordered, check with your attorney or the court to ensure the app you choose meets any specific requirements.

Conclusion

Court-approved co-parenting apps offer a modern solution to age-old challenges in co-parenting. By utilizing these digital tools, Tennessee parents can streamline communication, manage schedules, and maintain transparency, ultimately fostering a healthier environment for their children. As technology continues to advance, these apps are likely to become even more integrated into family law practices, providing invaluable support for co-parents navigating the complexities of shared parenting responsibilities.

For personalized advice and assistance, consider consulting with one of our family law attorneys who can guide you in choosing the best co-parenting app for your situation and ensuring compliance with any court orders.

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Primary and Alternate, what do they mean? – Exploring the deciding factors in custody plans

July 25, 2024

by admin Child Custody Parenting Plan

What is a Primary Parent

Primary parents, or primary caregivers, are people who take care of or watch the child(ren) for at least 50% of the time. A primary parent can be adoptive parents, legal guardians, as well as both mothers and fathers. It’s important to note that even if there is a 50/50 custody arrangement, a primary parent must be named for legal purposes. Primary and alternate parent responsibilities do not differ much in type, but rather volume. Deciding who is the Primary parent and who is the Alternate parent is decided in court. Custody and child support cases are both heard in Juvenile, and custody battles happen with or without a previous marriage. Primary parents shoulder much of the weight of taking care of their child(ren), taking them to school, feeding and clothing the child, setting up medical and dental visits, etc. and they are almost always doing this with a full time job! Parents really are superheroes.

The Role of an Alternate Parent

The role of any parent is to support their child. The role of an Alternate parent should be to support the primary parent in providing care for the child(ren). Both the Alternate and the Primary parent should encourage the child(ren) to continue building a relationship with the other parent. There’s no real ‘role’ either parent to play, you just do what you think is best for your child and their future. Alternate parents should aim to be flexible, and try their best to continuously update the primary parent. Try to plan tasks and activities for you and your child(ren) to do together. Being there and doing your best is what is most essential, and your child will come to appreciate it and you. It’s also important to note that most alternate parents are the ones paying child support, where the primary parent is receiving it.

Types of Parenting Arrangements

Tennessee is a mother state, meaning when in court, the judge or ruling is almost always in the mother’s favor, which also means you fathers are gonna have to work extra hard to win over the court and swing the case in your favor. Tennessee most commonly has 80/20 splits, favoring the mother and giving her around 280 days, and the father 80. It is rare, but 50/50 custody splits happen, as well as 60/40 and 70/30. Again, in Tennessee these splits favor the mother, because Tennessee is a mother’s state, and actually ranks bottom on a list of states measuring the amount of time children spend with their father, check out that statistic here!

Working in Tandem

In 2001, the state of Tennessee officially started using legal language like “primary parent” and “parenting time,” rather than their previous counterparts, “sole custody” and “visitation”. The gentle language used denotes a significant change in the way Tennessee goes about their family legal procedures. The quality of care received by the child(ren) impacts their social and cognitive growth, so work with your co parent in accordance to your own parenting plan for the well-being of your child. If you ever disagree with a decision the co parent makes, always be sure to address it and communicate how you feel to the best of your ability. Pursuant to §36-6-402, in the state of Tennessee, an attempt at a resolution is required in civil disputes, so if attempting to speak to the co parent does not prove to be effective, the next step is mediation.

Conclusion

Our attorneys here at Hairston & Associates have mediation certification and experience! If you have an open child custody case, contact us today and see how we can help you!

DISCLAIMER: The purpose of this article is to provide the general public with general information related to legal issues. None of the information provided within this article is intended to be construed or relied upon by any person(s) as legal advice. Further, reading this article does not create an attorney/client relationship between the reader and the author. If you need legal advice, it is recommended that you speak with an attorney who is licensed to practice law in your jurisdiction and practices the subject matter for which you are seeking legal advice.

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A Constitution for Parents – A Deep Dive of Parenting Plans

July 24, 2024

by admin Parenting Plan

What is a Parenting Plan?

A parenting plan is a comprehensive document that breaks down how parents are to share childcare responsibilities including but not limited to:

Child’s day-to-day schedule
Holiday schedule
Schedule for school breaks
Location for child exchanges
Decision-making parent for education, non-emergency health care, religious upbringing and extracurricular activities
Child support
Federal Income Tax Exemption
Exchanging information about each parent’s income
Exchanging information about each parent’s work-related childcare expenses
Health, Dental, Vision and Orthodontic coverage for the child
Life Insurance on the life of a parent to benefit the child
Processes for dispute resolution among the parents
Statutory Rights of each parent
Statutory Requirements for Parental Relocation

and more!

Understanding the Elements of a Parenting Plan

Child’s day-to-day schedule – This section outlines a child’s schedule with each parent. For example, “Father shall have responsibility for the care of the child except that Mother shall have the child from Friday pick-up from school or daycare (6 pm if a non-school day) to Sunday at 6 pm every other weekend.”
Holiday schedule – This section outlines when a child will be with each parent during certain holidays. For example, a child may spend Labor Day with Mother in odd-numbered years and with Father in even-numbered years.
Schedule for school breaks – This section outlines which parent the child will spend time with during school breaks such as Spring Vacation, Fall Vacation and Winter Vacation. For example, a child may spend Fall Vacation with Mother in odd-numbered years and with Father in even-numbered years.
Location for child exchanges – This section sets forth where the parents will exchange the child. For example, “The parties shall exchange the child at McDonald’s at 123 Main Street, Nashville, TN.”
Decision-making parent for education, non-emergency health care, religious upbringing and extracurricular activities – This section outlines which parent will make important, non-emergency decisions about the child. Commonly, parents split this responsibility between one another as they have a large and lasting effect upon the child.
Child Support: If necessary, the court will allocate funds from one parent to the other for child expenses. This aspect is extremely case dependent and relies on the parents previous actions and financial situation. Expenses may be school extracurriculars, groceries for the child, medical expenses, and/or other things of that nature.
Federal Income Tax Exemption – This section determines which parent will claim the child in tax documents, and when. For example, “Mother will claim child as dependent in even-numbered years, and Father will claim child as dependent in odd-numbered years”.
Exchanging information about each parent’s income – This section outlines the necessary exchange of information regarding the other parent’s income, for the purposes of tax, insurance, and the like.
Exchanging information about each parent’s work-related childcare expenses – This section breaks down which parent will insure the child, for how long, and through what agency.
Health, Dental, Vision and Orthodontic coverage for the child – This section outlines what the insurance covers, and how the parents divide the uncovered expenses
Life Insurance on the life of a parent to benefit the child – This section determines if there is life insurance, and what will happen to it in the event of a death of a parent
Processes for dispute resolution among the parents – If parents cannot reach agreement on child care decisions, they go through the resolution process, which outlines the order in which a dispute should be resolved between parents. Mediation, with or without a neutral 3rd party will hopefully solve the disagreement, however if that fails, then the court or judge will reach a neutral verdict.
Statutory Rights of each parent – Any parent regardless of gender has statutory rights over their child. These rights include but are not limited to; unimpeded phone calls, mail to and from child, notice to important information, the right to receive information about the child’s education and extracurriculars, medical notice, etc.
Statutory Requirements for Parental Relocation – This section pertains to the legal procedure a parent with custody must go through if they plan to move more than 50 miles away from the other parent, or out of state.
Communication Plan: A communication plan is a guideline for parents to effectively communicate with one another about the child via phone calls, text messages, or email.
Parenting Time Schedule: Parenting time schedules decide how long the child will stay at one or the other parents homes. If the custody is 50/50, parents will usually exchange the child with one another every few days, or even every week or two weeks. Beyond that, parenting time is case dependent.
Transportation Arrangements: It clarifies when and where parents would make an exchange of the child, and if needed, elaborates on payment for long distance transportation.

Who Needs a Parenting Plan?

In the State of Tennessee, a parenting plan is a required document for any custody action, for either parents in the midst of a divorce or parents who’ve never been married to one another.

How is a Parenting Plan Created?

The court encourages parents to reach consensus together and form a parenting plan, however if that is not attainable, mediation with a third party may be the best next step to reach an agreement on a parenting plan. If the parties cannot agree, a magistrate or judge will set a permanent parenting plan both parties’ must follow, based on the best interests of the minor child as determined by the custody factors set forth in T.C.A. §36-6-106.

Can a Parenting Plan be Changed?

Once a parenting plan is in place, it can be changed upon the filing of a petition to modify the parenting plan. The court has to find that there has been a “material change in circumstances” since the entry of the last parenting plan. According to the court opinion in “Hindiyeh v Abed (2020)”, “A material change of circumstance may include, but is not limited to, failures to adhere to the parenting plan or an order of custody”. In this instance, the Father presented material change as both parties’ new equal income. The mother had a pay raise, and now that they made similar incomes, the Father argued for 50/50 custody and a decreased obligation in child support. The Court approved this appeal, and granted both requests. Only when material change is determined, will the court adjust parenting plans, applicable to the factors set forth in T.C.A. §36-6-106.

Conclusion

Parenting plans are clear, direct guidelines on how both parents should operate with one another regarding their child. They are extremely helpful in avoiding confusion and conflict with the other parent, and can help benefit you and your child by making things regarding their care simpler. A comprehensive document with many parts, parenting plans break down each potential aspect of coparenting and set precedence for your future actions. If you need to alter your current parenting plan, or are currently in need of a new one, consider giving our office a call! With many years of experience, our attorneys will commit to helping you in any way we can. We work closely with each client to understand their unique circumstances and to explain things that the Court tends to focus on.